Another Day At The Fun House

Started a really hard work week today. I am only scheduled five days but all five are the dreaded double shift. At least I still have two days off to keep what little sanity I have left.

Went in to open the store and while setting up, the young girl (who I love dearly)  was mopping the front lobby and mentioned  a car was on fire in the parking lot! We went to the front door and sure enough...

I called 911 from my cell and they asked if everyone was out of the car? I said yes, the two people were standing by  the car. They  told me tell them to move away from the vehicle and help would be there shortly. I walked outside where a young woman, VERY preggers and a young guy stood looking into the hood of the car. I told them the fire dept. was on the way and to maybe move away in case of an explosion. An older gentleman standing with his wife said the same thing and after finally figuring out fanning his wife beater at  the engine just seemed to increase the flames they stepped back. I told them I was sorry but a car can always be replaced. (been there done that)

They weren't overly friendly and not to seem judgemental, the young man looked pretty sketchy to say the least. He had on baggy pants that were so low I could have given him a suppository easily and he had a "loosey" tucked behind his ear. Neither of them thanked me for calling the fire dept. but looked around nervously. The fire truck rolled in less than two minutes later followed by  three police cars. A car pulled in on the other side of all the commotion and two women got out. The young couple walked towards them, looking back over their shoulder at the flaming vehicle and all got back in the car and simply drove away...leaving the now fully engulfed car.

What the heck?

I walked out front and told one of the officers that the people who had been driving the car just left in another car with two women. They asked if I had a tag number but they had backed out and I had no way to see. I gave a description of the car and one of the officers said so far the tag on the burning car hadn't shown up as a stolen vehicle but maybe one of them had a warrant out for their arrest.

The fire was out and they were cleaning up the mess when another car pulled in and two older women got out accompanied by  the preggers chick. Sketchy dude was conspicuously absent.

There was a lot of hand motion and arm waving by the cops as they all talked.

Exciting start to a long day!

The rest of the lunch shift was uneventful. It rained and rained and rained. Peeps in Georgia are terrified by  ANY inclement weather and it made for a slow lunch shift.

Went back for my dinner shift and was thrilled to see my new friend and server "Timmy Tune" was working.  That made my night. Even if it was slow again I could pick on him and entertain myself.

It wasn't slow and I scrambled for a while just to keep up. Once it slowed down I began to relax and the "Fun" started!

While working the slow lunch shift I  told the owner's son about my game "Planting the seed." The owner's son is the sous chef and I have known him longer than I have his parents (my bosses.) Poor Tim...

Just when it started getting busy, Leon (the owner's son) started slowly and aimlessly singing from behind the cook line "All by myself...don't wanna be, All by myself."

I started laughing, poor Tim just looked and me and said I was a bitch. He smiled though as he walked out of the kitchen.

Let me also say  that after our second night of torturing him with my "plant the seed" game another co worker got him to sing "YMCA" by The Village People. I told her if she could get him to make the letters with his arms she would get fifty bonus points!

Since he was on to my scheming I decided on another line of torture...throw him under the "Barb" bus. (a horrible place to be)

Barb was going to retire last month but it has been waylaid. She has worked like mad for over forty years and is close to the end of her rope, mentally and emotionally drained from decades of seventy hour work weeks. She is a good woman but crazy as all get out. Her temper can flare up quicker than the car did out front of the store this morning.

She has a jar of Kraft mayonnaise she keeps in the small cooler for her own personal use. She uses more mayo than any person I have ever known.  When  servers need mayo they are supposed to go to the back walk in cooler and get it out of the gallon jug. She saw Tim getting some out for a guest and in usual "Barb" fashion chewed him out for using her own personal mayo and dogged him out for the top not being screwed back on correctly.

I was laughing so hard (you HAVE to laugh at Barb or you will go as nuts as her AND her husband) and said to Barb "I see Tim eating your  Kraft mayo all the time."

Tim apologized at least twice and left the kitchen. I walked out front and told Barb "Sometimes when he works a double shift, he takes your jar of Kraft with him on his break."

Not two minutes later... Tim came back and said "Barb just  accused me of taking her mayo with me on my breaks."

I looked out front from our service alley and Barb was sitting on her perch by the bar chuckling  to herself.

I work in a freaking nut house...but  love it and tend to call it the "Fun House."

Yes,  the owners are (as Massey calls them) "Cray-Cray" and can make you madder than a hornet but if you work really hard for them the entire time you are clocked in and always think of the restaurant's best interest...they are the most sincere and honest crazy people I have ever had the good fortune of not only meeting but lucky enough to work for.

Tim (my husaband Tim) noticed yesterday that both the rear tires on my car are showing steel belts and I gulped, thinking I just took this car to Atlanta and back a couple of days ago going eighty both ways and down to Warm Springs and back last Sunday.

Called my buddy  at B&L Tire today while out back at lunch calling home to check on Massey and told him I needed two new tires. He said to come in tomorrow and told him I hope I was gonna make $300 at work tonight. He said he hoped so too.

I made pretty good money  tonight but not near enough to pay for my tires. When  home on my break I packed up some of the potato salad I made to take back to Barb, who LOVES my potato salad. (thank you  momma for teaching me how to make it)

Before I clocked out I pointed out the potato salad in the cooler to Barb and she thanked me for it. I told her it came with a price and asked her if she could float me a loan  to help with my tires?

With  another shake of her head, a quizzical look and a sideways glance; she fronted me the money to get my tires tomorrow.

I work in a Nut House...but it is a Fun House.

Sometimes they kill me, but  have always come to my rescue in our time of need.

Getting two new tires tomorrow, don't have the full amount but for some crazy reason my buddy at the tire shop loves me too and will be fine with me having half the amount due. I am working non stop the rest of the week and can have him paid off in a couple of days.

Life is strange. You think you are losing it, all is lost and your life is over. Then people who love and have faith in you come to your rescue.

Next week Massey and I are taking Barb on a road trip to Warm Springs (a BEAUTIFUL place) with  the top down on the car and a full jar of Kraft mayo in the cooler.

When you think you are lost...look for a friend. When your life sucks, keep on keeping on. When you  think it will never get better, pray.

If YOU don't try, why should anyone else?

Til next  time... Cruising again soon COTTON